Your recall list shows a patient as overdue for a mammogram, yet you received her BreastScreen Australia result last month. The breastscreen australia gp referral workflow in Australian general practice has to account for this gap: a program that mails invitations directly to women, does not require a GP referral for screening, and returns results asynchronously to the nominated practice. A second patient insists she had a mammogram last year, but your system has no record. A third asks why she never received a reminder.
The disconnect between the program's central invitations and your local recall system means patients fall through gaps unless you build a workflow around what you can and cannot see.
What you can see as a GP
BreastScreen Australia sends screening results to the patient's nominated GP. You receive an electronic or paper report that includes the mammogram result and any recommendation for follow-up. If a patient is recalled for further assessment at a BreastScreen Assessment Centre, you are notified in writing. If cancer is detected, the patient is referred back to you or a specialist for treatment planning.
The program actively invites women aged 50–74 for two-yearly screening mammograms. Women aged 40–49 and those 75 and over are also eligible to attend but are not mailed invitations as part of the target group. This means your eligible cohort is broader than the group receiving letters.
| What you see | How you see it | When you see it |
|---|---|---|
| Normal screening result | PDF report to nominated GP | Typically within 2–4 weeks of the screen |
| Recall to Assessment Centre | Written notification | Sent when the patient is invited for further investigation |
| Cancer detection outcome | Referral communication | After diagnosis, for treatment discussion |
What you cannot see
You do not have direct access to BreastScreen Australia's appointment or results database. Results arrive as discrete reports, not as a live feed into Best Practice, MedicalDirector or Zedmed. There is no central register like the National Cancer Screening Register for bowel and cervical programs: BreastScreen data are managed by each state and territory, not through a single national system.
This means you cannot see:
- Whether a patient has booked or attended a BreastScreen appointment unless she tells you or the result arrives
- A patient's screening history if she attended in another state or territory and did not nominate your practice
- Real-time updates if a patient changes her nominated GP after booking
- The invitation status for patients aged 50–74 (you do not receive a copy of the invitation letter)
The practical effect is that your recall list will be incomplete if it relies only on results you have received. Patients who attend BreastScreen but do not nominate your practice, or whose results are still in transit, will appear overdue when they may not be. For comparison with how the bowel screening program's workflow integrates with general practice, see how to find every patient aged 45–74 overdue for bowel screening.
BreastScreen Australia GP referral: building the recall workflow
The starting point is to treat BreastScreen like any other preventive activity that happens partly outside your walls. Your recall list needs to capture three groups:
First, patients aged 50–74 with no recorded mammogram in the last two years. In plain terms, the search needs to find patients in that age range with no breast screening result coded in the last 24 months, and to treat a result older than two years the same as no result at all. Whichever system you use, the part that goes wrong is the coding, not the age filter: if mammogram results are filed as correspondence rather than coded, the query will report a clean cohort that is nothing of the sort.
Second, patients aged 40–49 and 75+ who have never been screened or are overdue. These patients are eligible but not invited, so they depend on your practice to prompt them. Include them in your recall logic.
Third, patients who have had a mammogram elsewhere and whose result never reached your system. The only reliable way to catch these is to ask at every relevant consultation and to reconcile against any external sources your PHN provides. If a patient reports a recent mammogram, record the date and source in your clinical record.
The messages and the timing
BreastScreen Australia mails invitations to women aged 50–74 every two years. Your practice recall complements this, it does not replace it. Time your messages to avoid duplication and confusion.
| Patient status | Message type | Timing | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Due for first screen at 50 | Educational invite | 1–2 months before 50th birthday | Letter or long-form SMS |
| Due for repeat screen | Reminder | 1–2 months before due date | SMS or email |
| Overdue by 3–6 months | Prompt | Immediately | SMS |
| Overdue by 6+ months | Escalation | Immediately | Phone call |
For patients aged 40–49 and 75+, lead with education: explain eligibility, the two-year interval, and that no referral is needed. For patients aged 50–74, frame the message as a prompt: It is time for your two-yearly BreastScreen mammogram. No referral is needed. Book online at breastscreen.gov.au.
Important: if a patient reports breast symptoms — a lump, pain, nipple discharge or skin changes — do not send her to BreastScreen. Refer her for diagnostic imaging instead. BreastScreen is for asymptomatic screening only.
Documentation for accreditation
The RACGP Standards for general practices (5th edition) require a recall and reminder system that identifies patients overdue for preventive care, contacts them, and documents the outcome. For BreastScreen, keep:
- The date you ran the recall query
- The criteria used (age range, time since last screen)
- The message sent and the date
- The patient's response and the action taken
A simple log in your recall module or a spreadsheet is sufficient. If your system supports it, code each contact as a preventive activity and link it to the mammogram result when it arrives.
Common questions
Do I need to write a referral for BreastScreen Australia?
No. Women can self-refer and book directly with BreastScreen Australia without a GP referral. You are encouraged to recommend screening to eligible women, especially those aged 50–74, but a formal referral is not required for asymptomatic screening. A referral is only needed for diagnostic imaging when a patient has breast symptoms.
Why does my recall list show patients as overdue when they have had a mammogram?
Your list is built from the data in your system. If a patient attended BreastScreen but did not nominate your practice, or if the result has not yet arrived, your system will not know she has screened. Ask patients at each consultation whether they have had a recent mammogram elsewhere, and record it in your clinical notes. Over time, this closes the gap.
Can I access BreastScreen results through the National Cancer Screening Register?
No. BreastScreen Australia is not part of the National Cancer Screening Register. Unlike cervical and bowel screening, BreastScreen data are managed separately by each state and territory. You receive results directly from the local BreastScreen service, not through the NCSR.
How often should I run a BreastScreen recall in my practice?
Run a full cohort recall every six months. That catches patients who have turned 40 or 50 since the last run and those approaching two years since their last screen. Supplement this with opportunistic recall at every relevant consultation — a quick check of the last mammogram date takes seconds and prevents missed screens.
Current as at 7 August 2026. BreastScreen Australia program rules and data systems change — check BreastScreen Australia and your state or territory service before relying on any detail here.